Ultimate Singapore Travel Guide | On a Backpacker’s Budget

Searching for a no bullshit, Singapore Travel Guide? You’ve come to the right place.

My very first thought when I stepped foot onto the sleek and impeccably spotless platform to board the train and zip into the island state city of Singapore, was just that, how ridiculously squeaky clean Singapore is. I was gobsmacked. Not one single minuscule speck of litter floating about, or chewing gum stuck to the bottom of your shoe. Maybe because the laws for littering and chewing gum are as harsh as they come and the fines for doing so are notoriously high, but we’ll get to that later. First up, lets get to the Singapore travel guide!

Singapore is a wee city just off southern Malaysia, but don’t let it’s size fool you. It’s a multi cultural melting pot, towered by a concrete jungle of modern, cutting edge architecture, and dotted with eco friendly, green skyscrapers. The cities spick and span feel and futuristic flow made me feel like I was a virtual character that had been transported into a set of the Sims, where someone was sitting in a little box somewhere, organising this world I was apart of.

No matter where on the planet you’re jet setting off to, Singapore is a major stop over hub, the airport quite literally being a whole other destination in it’s self. For me, I was indeed on my way home from travelling through other countries in Asia, and I knew I wanted to squeeze in one last stop before getting back to reality. I had always been intrigued about what the city of Singapore had to offer, so here I was, booked into a down town hostel for a quick 24 hours. 

Once I arrived in the city I quite literally threw my bags on my bunk bed, downloaded a map on my phone and hit the streets quicker than a wink. Time was ticking. 

Cities are so hit or miss for me. When I hate them, I hate em, and I can’t wait to escape to the middle of know where. However, when I stumble upon a good one, by crikey do I enjoy the hell out of them. Singapore reminded me of all the reasons I do love a good city! 

From delectable foodie havens and some of the worlds best street food cuisine, (food always comes first- standard) buzzing market stalls to high end shopping streets, elaborate temples and lush urban green spaces, and an eclectic mix of cultures, sights and sounds. I guarantee you will never get bored. Boy was I in for a whirlwind 24 hours. 

Such goodness always seems to come at an expense, and that right there my friends is what most people are skeptical about when it comes to exploring Singapore, myself included. Despite Singapore’s reputation for being the most pricey city in South East Asia, let me tell you it really doesn’t have to burn a hole in your pocket, and it can be done on a bare bones backpacker’s budget.

I already had so much on my plate that I wanted to fit into precisely, one full day, so after a quick research to make sure there weren’t any other must see sights I was missing, I jotted down a rough plan in my head being realistic in the time I had, and got roaming.